Brontë by Manuela Santoni

4 stars A brilliant glimpse into the lives of the Bronte sisters. Recounting a few of the major events through their lives, this graphic novel focuses on the sisters’ relationships to their father, brother, each other, and writing. An engaging way to learn about this trio of gifted writers in a format that is artistic…

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The Wish Tree by Kyo Maclear, Illustrated by Chris Turnham

4 stars A sweet story about a little boy and his toboggan who set out on a journey to find the elusive wish tree. Along the way they encounter some new animal friends and help them with their own tasks. This is such an adorable story about kindness and helping others. Loved the simple magic…

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Sisters (Smile #2) by Raina Telgemeier

For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle Okay read. I will say that as an only child, it was kind of hard for me to relate to. Pretty much all I know about having siblings is what I’ve seen on TV and read in books. I’m sure those with siblings would find this more interesting….

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Rise of the Jumbies (The Jumbies #2) by Tracey Baptiste

3 stars A good follow up to the first book. This one starts off right where the last one ended. I was glad to see new characters and situations in this one. It is a completely new adventure while continuing elements and themes found in the previous book. While there are some explanations of what…

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The Jumbies (The Jumbies #1) by Tracey Baptiste

4 stars An interesting read filled with magic, adventure, and elements of Haitian folklore. As Baptiste points out in her Author’s note, in comparison to European fairy tales, there are not a lot of Haitian folklore and jumbie fairy tales in mainstream literature. It’s great to see this series start to fill that gap. The…

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Roll With It by Jamie Sumner

5 stars I loved this book. The writing was perfect. From the first page, I was instantly caught up in the narration. It was so casual and friendly. Even though the plot was not very complex, I was never bored or in a hurry to finish a section. I also thought the pacing was very…

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Poetree by Shauna LaVoy Reynolds

Illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani 4 stars A lovely story about making new friends and sharing a love of poetry. This is a gorgeous book. The illustrations are calm and soothing, the narration is splendid, and the story itself is heartwarming. I especially loved all the little callouts to famous poets. A delightful way to learn…

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